Tactics employed to overthrow democratically elected Governments

An exegesis of the existing political environment seems to suggest that Zimbabwe is under siege from outside forces with internal links. The tactics being employed by the West in pursuit of  regime change in Zimbabwe are designed to bring about two distinct outcomes; the creation of a puppet or surrogate government in the form of MDC and the restoration of the economic and political enslavement of the black indigenous majority.

The concept of human rights has a long historical genesis but its global dimension is of more recent vintage. Some political analysts discovered that classical political liberals in the form of John Locke and Thomas Jefferson might have written that 'all men were created equal and possessed equal rights' These 'men' were invariably white in skin colour and owned property; most definitely, slaves, colonized people and anyone considered to be an outsider was not included in this narrow definition.

Incongruously, both Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were slave owners of repute at the time that they were loftily writing about moral and legal equality amongst all 'men' Therefore in reality there is a temptation to believe that the concept of human rights is intertwined with the liberal political philosophy. In contemporary times this concept has undergone a metamorphosis, becoming a neo-colonial tool in the hands of the West. It is used perpetually to oppress indigenous people through stifling systems of global capitalism.

In essence, the issue of human rights has become a topic which has turned out to be a blunt but effective instrument in the arsenal to effect regime change. The implementation of human rights as a vanguard towards regime change is riddled with controversy and extensive debate at policy level. The MDC formations in Zimbabwe have been accusing and counter accusing each other of abusing each other's rights.

It has never been the West's idea to consider the human nature of non-European races, especially in light of historical process such as colonialism that saw black peoples reduced to the status of the lesser human beings. Montesque was a scholar who did not consider blacks as a race that deserved freedom. In one of his legal essays, he summed up his bigoted stance writing that 'it is hard to believe that God, who is a wise being, should place a soul in such a black ugly body'. It is impossible for us to suppose these as men, because allowing them to be a suspicion would follow that we ourselves are not.

This view strongly suggests that blacks, especially Africans, have been caught up unfortunately in the politics of exclusion. In Zimbabwe NGOs and the human rights issue are inextricably linked. Several NGOs have been masquerading as enforcers of human rights. For instance ZimRights is a coalition of seventeen member organisations that were launched purportedly to provide legal and psychological support to victims of food riots in January1998.

ZimRights operates a Research and Documentation Unity and offers illegal services through the public interest unit of another NGO. It also produces a monthly magazine on political 'violence' that is well received by the Western media and their governments. The outcome of all this posturing over human rights is to build a case against Zimbabwe as a violator of human rights requiring urgent action, classification in the form of military intervention for example in Libya and Syria. Disguising the regime change agenda in the form of addressing 'humanitarian concerns' to justify invading sovereign countries is the game at play by the west.

As Zimbabweans we have to ask ourselves whether these human rights groups are as many as they are in their countries of origin. We have to note that they want to create their centre of power. We should also take into cognizance that some countries have banned and expelled these rogue NGOs and human rights groups.